390 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



than twenty minutes finishes his repast, and returns again to his hiding 

 place deep in the earth beyond the reach of all intruders. 



" The Yankee mole is too shrewd for the English trap, or, indeed, for 

 any, with a single exception. I have examined several traps, beautiful in 

 theory, but they are splendid practiced failures." 



Wm. S. Carpenter. — I am satisfied about the injury of moles to the 

 farmer, being much more than all his benefit in eating worms. I had a 

 bed of tulips destroyed by moles. I traced them by their paths from root 

 to root. 



Prof. Mapes. — I have tried careful experiments with moles in confine- 

 ment, and have never succeeded in getting them to eat any kind of vege- 

 table matter. 



Mr. Moody, of New Jersey. — I have found that moles do cut ofif the 

 stems of thorns in my hedge. I cannot say that they eat thorns. I am 

 satisfied, too, that they will eat potatoes. 



Prof. Mapes. — I find that potatoes are eaten in the vicinity of moles, 

 but I am satisfied that they are eaten by grubs that the moles feed upon. 



Dr. Trimble. — The potato is eaten by the grub of the cockchafer, and 

 not by the mole. 



Mr. Fuller. — I have known moles to gnaw potatoes, but not for food. 



The Chairman made the following remarks upon this subject : 



MOLE HILLS. 



In rich alluvial soils, mole hills are thrown up in immense numbers, 

 because such soils usually abound with the food that these subterraneous 

 creatures seek for. They destroy the roots of grass immediately contigu- 

 ous to their mounds, beside often impeding the free action of the scythe, 

 for these reasons. Some think it well to exterminate them, still they, no 

 doubt, do a vast deal of good by destroying obnoxious worms and grubs. 

 In the spring of the year it is an easy matter to spread out these mounds 

 over the surrounding ground, as they are dry and powdery, and act, to a 

 certain extent, as an enriching top dressing. 



The mole cannot bear access to the atmosphere, being wholly subterra- 

 neous by nature; they never drii^k, but live entirely upon worms, insects, 

 and the roots of grass, and are never found in gravelly or clay soils. They 

 breed in April and May, and generally produce four at a birth. The tun- 

 nels that they make are invariably parallel to the surface of the ground, 

 and about six inches deep, unless they become alarmed, when they imme- 

 diately sink to the depth of fourteen inches, rarely deeper. They have 

 cities under ground, which consist of houses, or nests, where they feed and 

 nurse their young ; communicating with these are wider and more fre- 

 quented streets, made by the perpetual journeys of the female and male 

 parents, as well as many other less frequented streets, with diverging 

 branches, which they extend daily to collect food for themselves and fami- 

 lies. 



